New Delhi: Kuwait and Pakistan Thursday signed a new defence agreement to expand military and defence cooperation amid the West Asia war that has seen Gulf countries rethink defence priorities.
The agreement was signed in Islamabad during a visit by Kuwait Defence Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who met Pakistan counterpart Khawaja Asif. The two ministers discussed expanding military cooperation as well as regional developments and efforts to promote security and stability, according to a statement from the Kuwait Army.
Kuwait and Pakistan have maintained military ties for decades, including cooperation in training, professional exchanges and exercises. The latest agreement builds on a defence cooperation accord signed in Kuwait City in June 2023. That earlier agreement established a formal framework for cooperation between the two countries’ defence establishments. It covered military education and training, intelligence cooperation, logistics, defence technology, scientific research and exchanges of expertise.
A statement called the latest deal a “significant step in defence and military cooperation between the two countries”. It provides for greater operational coordination, exchanges of military expertise and closer integration between the two countries’ armed forces, with the stated aim of advancing their common interests and contributing to regional security.
“Under the new agreement, the Armed Forces of Pakistan will extend assistance to the Armed Forces of Kuwait in diverse fields, including training, capacity building, border management and other mutually agreed areas of defence collaboration,” a Pakistan defence ministry statement said.
The signing comes as Kuwait faces a more uncertain security environment in the Gulf. The country has been among the Gulf states affected by Iranian missile and drone attacks during the region’s recent escalation. Tehran has said such strikes have targeted American military facilities hosted by Gulf countries, while Kuwaiti authorities have said their air defences intercepted projectiles that entered the country’s airspace.
It also looked at cooperation in defence manufacturing, electronic communications and military cultural activities. A joint military committee was established to oversee the arrangement, including the coordination of military exercises, official visits and other programmes.
Kuwait formally approved the 2023 agreement in July 2026 through a decree-law published in Kuwait Al-Youm, the country’s official gazette. The agreement was approved for an initial five-year period and is automatically renewable unless either side chooses to terminate it.
The agreement did not however amount to a mutual-defence commitment requiring either country to automatically deploy troops in the event of an attack. Instead, it established institutional mechanisms for closer military cooperation, including the protection of confidential defence information and the resolution of disputes through diplomatic channels.
The latest developments, however, come amid discussions that could take the relationship beyond training and institutional cooperation.
Pakistan had been negotiating a potentially broader defence arrangement with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, according to a Reuters report of last month.
Kuwait had then sought security arrangements that could resemble, in some respects, Pakistan’s expanded defence relationship with Saudi Arabia. The proposals under discussion reportedly included the possible deployment of Pakistani personnel, fighter aircraft, drones, air-defence capabilities and other military facilities.
Amid the West Asia war, Kuwait is already seeking to reinforce its defences as the Gulf faces renewed security risks, while Pakistan is looking to deepen economic and strategic relationships with wealthy Gulf partners. It signed the Mecca pact between Saudi and Turkey this month. Kuwait has longstanding trade relations with all three countries.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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